


pretty mind, silk thoughts

by mytholvgical



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, No proofreading we die like mne, Nobody @ Me, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, a spicy side jaehyun/johnny that was unintentional but happened, also in which jaehyun is a whipped bitch for taeyong, attempts at humor but no promises, heterosexuality ?? in this economy ??, i thought of taeyong with a fluffy cat and then this fic came to fruition so lets see how this goes, in which jaehyun wants to put all his friends up for sale on ebay, my two working braincells are figuring that out, wondering who the bg relationships are ?? me too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-01-06 02:14:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21218876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mytholvgical/pseuds/mytholvgical
Summary: Jaehyun is in his final year of university, struggling to navigate the world and decide what exactly he wants to do with his life. All that he knows is that things are different from when he first arrived in New York City as a wide-eyed and hopeful transfer student, and now he's trying to juggle more hours at the photography studio he works at while finishing a degree that he might not even have use for. The routine expectations of Jaehyun's day are turned on its head when Taeyong enters the studio one Saturday afternoon, and suddenly Jaehyun's future seems less abstract.Or alternatively:Jaehyun works as a photographer to make ends meet while in school. Taeyong is an international student from Korea, wanting to experience life outside his comfort zone. One day, Taeyong comes into Jaehyun's job asking to photograph the cat he's adopted in his dorm and actively trying to hide from his RA. Jaehyun is immediately fond.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> there's a new dumb bitch in town with two functioning brain cells and you're looking at her. i tend to write what i know and since i'm a broke college graduate, i've never been to seoul despite wanting to desperately blow my money on clothes over there, so consider this a nct ensemble / exo ensemble / sm artists take new york city. slightly friends-ish but moderately more entertaining and there's no ross, so ... extensively better from that viewpoint. i've never wrote a fic before so pls be kind and i only slightly apologize for my rambling sentences, but y'all and grammarly can try and rip my extensive comma usage from my grubby hands, but i won't give up with a fight.
> 
> my original plan was to add a lot more to the first chapter, but then i wanted validation so we out here 🤪
> 
> anywhoozle! i think this goes to say, but pls don't send this to anyone involved bc then i'll just combust in embarrassment. other than that uHHhh .. pls enjoy!

He was going to be late, so very and pitifully late it wasn't even funny.

At this point, Jaehyun couldn't even blame his shit alarm clock for how shitty it was because this time around, he had forgotten to set it the night before. He'd been too worn out from work, eyes bleary, and dry from staring at his computer screen for so long as he got to work on post-production edits of the shoot he'd just completed hours earlier. So much so that he passed out at his insanely tiny and equally as uncomfortable desk, forgoing all logic to collapse on his bed. Instead, he woke up with square indentations of the keyboard on the entirety of the right side of his face, disheveled hair that couldn't even be saved by his comb, and a definite knot in his left shoulder. Altogether, a pretty crappy start to his morning. Zero out of five stars on Yelp; would not recommend.

Jaehyun had been in a mad dash. Between shoving textbooks into his backpack for his classes, yanking on the first pair of track pants he'd seen on his bedroom floor, and whirling around the living room in such a blur to find his sneakers that he completely missed Johnny at the kitchen table.

"You all right there, Barry Allen?" Johnny had asked him with his tone laced in a level of unparalleled amusement that if Jaehyun weren't already running late to his eight a.m, he would've surely aimed his shoe straight at his head.

The whine that left his mouth was undignified, but he couldn't find it in himself to care as he hobbled toward the door in a piss poor attempt of pulling his shoe over his heel and nearly falling over as a result. Johnny had, thankfully, spared him from any more of his smart-ass comments. Instead, only cackling and slipping a breakfast bar into Jaehyun's hands before pushing him toward the door.

A thought crossed his mind at the haunting stillness of the apartment, and he paused in the doorway, looking back at Johnny with his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Wait. Where's Dahlia?"

"Off with Chanyeol. He took her and Duke to get groomed since the smell of dog was getting too much, I guess," Johnny paused, and his gaze shifted from Jaehyun to his wristwatch. "You do realize that the 1 train's been having delays all morning and you have class in —" Another glance to his watch. "Fifteen minutes."

"Fuck."

There was no way Jaehyun was going to make it uptown to campus in under fifteen minutes. 

—

Update: Jaehyun didn't make it to his class in under fifteen minutes. In fact, he was a whole forty-five minutes late and could feel the disapproving gaze of his professor burning a hole in his back as he made the walk of shame across the lecture hall and over toward his seat.

All he wanted to do was suffer in peace and maybe pull up the hood of his sweatshirt, and tug the drawstrings so he could hide the rush of blood to his cheeks. But no, apparently he couldn't even wither away in his self-pity because as soon as he sat down, he felt a sharp kick to his leg. 

Jaehyun turned to glare at Yuta, who only offered him a click of his tongue before saying, "You're late."

"Thanks. I wasn't aware," he grumbled and chose to ignore the snicker that Yuta attempted to hide behind his hand.

"Have too much fun last night?"

"Dude, it's not even the weekend yet."

A sudden jab to his arm from Yuta's bony elbow had him biting down on his lip to withhold a poorly concealed yelp. Jaehyun rubbed bitterly at the now sore spot, lips tugging down into a frown as he side-eyed his friend. "What the fuck was that?"

Yuta merely rolled his eyes as he tapped his pen against the table, earning him a death stare from the girl beside him. "Lame. Thirsty Thursdays are a thing. Speaking of — wanna go out tomorrow night? There's this new karaoke bar on West 17th, and I kinda overheard the cute guy in my Lit Theory class talking to his friends about it."

"'Cause that's not creepy. I didn't take you as the stalker type," Jaehyun answered as his irritation ebbed away into a wry smile.

"It's not stalking! Consider it being opportunistic, and I'm offended you think so lowly of me," Yuta defended.

"I don't know; maybe it's all those weird movies you watch that have me wondering."

It was easy to forget his earlier embarrassment when he could turn the tables on Yuta, who was always an unwilling participant when it came to it, but his reactions gave all the more reason to tease. For as long as Jaehyun had known his friend, Yuta could dish out jabs much better than he was at being on the receiving end. Kind of like right now as he sniffed in response to Jaehyun and tilted his chin up.

"You enjoy those Lifetime movies just as much as I do, so you have no room to talk."

Whatever comment Jaehyun was about to say died on his tongue when the sharp voice of their professor echoed throughout the lecture hall, much louder than it had previously been.

"Jung. Nakamoto. I can't imagine whatever you two are talking about being more important than my lecture. Which do you think is more likely to appear on your midterm?"

Jaehyun mumbled an apology and ducked his head. Yuta stayed silent, but that didn't stop him from nudging his notebook toward Jaehyun. He spared a glance to see scribbled notes of what he assumed to be talking points of the lecture that he missed from being late. Appreciation for Yuta swelled in his chest, and Jaehyun breathed out, a small smile pulled at his lips before he reached over to doodle a heart in the top corner of the page. Jaehyun grinned, and Yuta chuckled.

The rest of the hour passed by in a rather uneventful way. Thankfully no more bodily harm from Yuta and no more scolding comments from their professor. He'd have to look over the powerpoint for that particular lecture when he got home, but Jaehyun had Yuta's notes, which proved to be more comprehensive than he would've initially thought. 

"I'm more than just a pretty face, you know," Yuta had said when Jaehyun told him as much on their walk over to Revson Plaza after retrieving much-needed coffee.

He had rolled his eyes and sipped on his drink, ignoring the slight burn on his tongue. There was no way he was going to let a little pain get in the way of properly waking up, even if it meant sitting through his later classes with a raw tongue and a fuzzy feeling in his mouth. Sacrifices had to be made in the name of caffeine. 

Jaehyun and Yuta had found themselves sitting on one of the outdoor benches, enjoying the fresh September air that still had remnants of the passing summer. There was an incomparable vibe that New York held where there always seemed to be something going on — always somewhere to be. A stark difference to his home town in Connecticut. The city had initially intimidated Jaehyun when he first arrived as a wide-eyed transfer student at the start of his sophomore year. Still, Jaehyun had gradually warmed up to the constant hustle of bodies and the much too confusing subway system. New York began to feel more like home, especially during his junior year when he had moved into his off-campus apartment with Johnny, Taeil, and Chanyeol in the Flatiron District. The passing summer was the first in which Jaehyun decided to stay in the city rather than return home, and for as much as he missed his parents, it felt like he was finally establishing roots of his own.

It hadn't taken long for Jaehyun to crave companionship, already doting on Chanyeol's Australian Shepherd, Duke, like he was his own, before dragging Chanyeol and Taeil with him to the nearby shelter. That's when he found Dahlia, previously named Lily, a Husky with an exuberant personality despite having been abandoned by her previous owners outside the local pet store with no collar and only a note of her name. She was just shy of a year old and considerably underweight for her age, but Jaehyun would be damned if he wasn't going to be leaving with her as a new addition to the family of apartment 3B. Which he did, and with a considerably lighter wallet as he marched home with Dahlia in his arms. All the while, Chanyeol and Taeil mumbled behind him, hands full of bags containing dog paraphernalia.

Being single ended up being more expensive than a relationship, Jaehyun found, even more so when he channeled his loneliness and affection in the form of a hyperactive dog. Not that he could complain much since he had a cuddle buddy each night, and Dahlia acted just as great of a wingman as Yuta when he took her to the dog park over in Madison Square Park, and many people flocked to coo over her fluffiness.

"You guys bought coffee without getting me anything? What's the point of keeping you around then?" 

Taeil's appearance broke Jaehyun out of his thoughts, and he hid his snicker behind his cup. "Hello to you too, sunshine."

"You still haven't Venmo'd me back that twenty bucks from when I had to call an Uber for your drunk ass on the Fourth of July," Yuta interjected. He was the epitome of unbothered as he reclined back onto his free hand and cocked his head at Taeil, an impish smile filtering onto his visage.

Chocolate hues flickered between his two friends, amusement bubbling to the surface in the form of a giggle as Taeil sputtered. 

"Friendship shouldn't have a price tag!"

"You say that 'cause it takes you one jello shot and a vodka cranberry to get you wasted and crying on the bar floor like a bitch. Your fifteen dollars to get drunk on a night out means nothing to me." 

Yuta squawked as Taeil's backpack made contact with his shoulder, jerking as the hot liquid of his macchiato spilled over onto his hand. Jaehyun doubled over in laughter.

"I can't believe you!" 

"Me? Don't be bitter 'cause it takes more time and money for you to get drunk!"

"That's not —"

"I suffer through a morning of microeconomic analysis, and this is how you treat me? Insults, and no coffee? Unbelievable!"

Jaehyun is outright cackling at this point, too far gone to notice the matching glares he's getting from Taeil and Yuta.

"Who are you laughing at when you showed up an hour late to class dressed like you took a dive in your hamper?" Yuta turned to him with mischief in his eyes.

Wait. What? When did this turn on him? It wasn't often that Yuta and Taeil's bickering turned into a united front to throw back at him. Jaehyun could only blink and hold his hands out in mock surrender. "Hey! What did I do?"

"You're encouraging him!" Taeil defended before he paused and considered Yuta's words. "You're studying journalism; what's so difficult about showing up on time for that?"

"What's so difficult about anybody showing up on time for any class?" Jaehyun sniffed before turning his attention to his coffee, suddenly interested in picking at the frayed ends of the heat protectant sleeve. "Doyoung assigned me more hours at work, so I've been staying later and taking on more responsibilities. It's not really something I can push back on."

Early mornings had, unfortunately, started to become a familiar fixture in Jaehyun's life ever since he took on more hours over at the studio. It required having to plan his class schedule this semester around his newly appointed work hours, resulting in all morning classes nearly every day and a particularly bummed out Jaehyun. He sucked at waking up before ten on a good day, but with all the additional stress of late nights hunched over his desk as he struggled through coursework and edits in Photoshop, it made getting out of bed the next morning all the more pathetic.

The lack of an immediate response had Jaehyun hesitate, nimble fingers pausing against the paperboard as he spared a glance through his lashes to his friends. Both Yuta and Taeil shared an eerily similar unamused expression.

"Dude, that's something you can definitely push back on," Yuta spoke up while Taeil nodded in agreement. "Especially if he knows you're still in school."

"Is this the place you had your internship at last semester?" Taeil asked.

Jaehyun nodded and took a small sip from his drink.

"So, yeah, he'd know you're still in school, and if not, then you need to remind him. It's cool you got a job from your internship, but not at the expense of your education," Taeil added, lips quirked up into a grin. "You're in your last year anyway. Might as well pile up that student loan debt higher since we're all probably gonna die with it anyway."

"That's the spirit," Yuta snorted with a shake of his head, stray strands of his hair shifting from the movement and tumbling over his eyes. He puffed out a breath in a lazy attempt to move his hair without having to move from his relaxed position and frowned when it only obscured his vision more. Jaehyun scooted closer to his friend, ignoring the coolness of the stone bench that seeped through the thin fabric of his track pants and brushed the dyed orange strands out of Yuta's vision. "Thanks," Yuta shot him a smile.

"You weren't going to do it on your own. You'd give yourself whiplash before you decide to move and do something about it," Jaheyun chuckled. Not that he was even remotely annoyed about it; he'd known the other for so long that he's used to Yuta's more slothful tendencies.

"Be the Peter Parker to my Gwen Stacy then?" Yuta offered after a brief moment of silence. His snickering only further leads Jaehyun to believe that his friend thought his joke was hilarious and the pinnacle of comedy. Jaehyun could only roll his eyes while Taeil let out a whine.

"Dude! Not cool!" Taeil said, eyes wide in complete disbelief of what Yuta said, "You know that would just make you dead, right? And by proxy, Jae would be crying over your body."

Jaehyun picked up on the muffled '_nerd_ ' that left Yuta's mouth and let his lips pull up into an amused grin. Thankfully, Taeil hadn't heard and merely looked longingly at the coffee in Jaehyun's hand. Taking one last sip from his drink, he extended it out to Taeil. His heart yearned for more of the caffeinated beverage, but Taeil looked to be on the verge of pouting, and Jaehyun was never strong enough to say no to his friends. "Take mine; I'm getting overheated anyway, and I'm pretty sure it's just increasing my heart rate while I remain exhausted. It's a vanilla latte."

It's easy not to feel as sad when Taeil accepted the drink with an expression matching that of a kid on Christmas morning. As Yuta and Taeil branched off onto another topic, Jaehyun let himself relax under the warm sensation of the morning sun on his face. It wouldn't be long until autumn came in full effect, so he'd take all the remnants of summer that he could get before the cold appeared. He shuffled his weight on the bench, letting out a huff at how uncomfortable it was as he tried to mimic Yuta's position since it looked like he had no problem. Yuta must have picked up on his discomfort because the next thing Jaehyun knew, there was an arm draped over his shoulder and was pulled into Yuta's side. Jaehyun hummed and let his eyes close; his head leaned back to rest against the junction where Yuta's shoulder met his neck.

"Don't you two look adorable." Taeil cooed before retrieving his phone from his back pocket and taking a photo of him and Yuta. Jaehyun scrunched his nose.

"Jae could post that photo on Instagram for National Best Friends Day this year or you know, the hundreds of others we have. Or maybe he can forget about me again and post a picture of him with that giant sasquatch of a sophomore he met in the campus library like he did last June," Yuta replied, tone laced in an exaggerated huff as he squeezed Jaehyun's shoulder.

"Hey!" Jaehyun objected. The slew of laughter escaping his lips made it all the more evident that he lacked any real offense. He moved slightly, positioning his head on Yuta's shoulder in such a way so he could get somewhat of a look at his face, "Yukhei is cool, and I helped him with his biology course since I had the same professor as him when I took it. And last I checked, you were the one who texted me the day before asking if I had any cute photos of us together only to post a picture of you and your dog."

"Oh, so he's Yukhei now? What happened to Lucas?" Taeil interjected.

"He sucked his dick; that's what happened," Yuta snickered.

Jaehyun could feel the rush of blood to his cheeks, "Fuck off. It's too early in the morning for you both to be this annoying."

"That's not a denial!" Yuta said, and Jaehyun pushed away from his embrace with a grumble, only for Yuta to pull him back. The sudden movement had Jaehyun fumble, no grace whatsoever as his legs splayed outward, and he collapsed back onto Yuta's chest. He could at least find some solace in Yuta not expecting the weight of Jaehyun to be thrown back at him from being yanked and letting out an audible _ oomf _ as Jaehyun collided with him. His free arm had automatically extended outward to grab at the bench so he wouldn't fall from supporting his weight plus Jaehyun's, but he must have forgotten about the coffee cup in his hand because of the momentum, and it was soon knocked out of his hand.

Jaehyun watched the macchiato spill out of the cup and stain the pavement in front of them, a chaotic medley of Taeil's loud cackling mixed with his own, and Yuta's high-pitched whine echoing in the otherwise silent plaza. "Consider that karma," he managed to get out through giggles.

"I hate both of you."

"We love you too, don't worry," Jaehyun smirked and pushed his weight forward to plant an exaggerated kiss to Yuta's cheek, while Yuta accepted his fate with only a slight mumble and forlorn look at his spilled macchiato. "I'll buy you another one later."

Taeil's effort in cleaning up the mess was met with mild retaliation from the September air, the now empty cup rolling away from their bench and toward the middle of the walkway. There was an increase of students finding their way into the area as more classes were let out, and the last thing Jaehyun wanted was to get bitched at for someone slipping on a stray meandering coffee cup. If he hadn't been too comfortable leaning all his weight against Yuta, then maybe he would offer his help to Taeil, but then again, Taeil already stripped Jaehyun away from his coffee so he could suffer a little bit. Especially when he had his Profiles class coming up in another twenty minutes or so, which desperately required at least a semi-functioning brain and cognitive functions since Jaehyun had to write a detailed profile about his assigned project partner — some kid who tested all of his patience with not only his inability to show up to class without smelling like he sprayed an entire bottle of Old Spice to cover every and any available body part, but taking their assignment as an open invitation to try and get into Jaehyun's pants. Jaehyun was tired just thinking about it and definitely not down to fuck.

"I think some of your macchiato got on my shoes," Taeil muttered after he retrieved the cup and tossed it in the trash bin nearest to them. He made the wise decision of moving away from the spilled liquid and sat where Jaehyun previously was on the bench.

"Oh, no. Not the white converse," Yuta replied in a tone so dry that Jaehyun could envision tumbleweeds passing by in front of them.

He turned his head to get a look at Taeil and noticed his eyebrows knitted together, a wrinkle appearing inbetween all the while he sipped from the vanilla latte. Jaehyun can only hope that he won't now be in the direct middle of any bickering between Yuta and Taeil. He could only endure so much suffering, and he already reached his quota for the day. Between the public humiliation of not only being late to his first class and the watchful eyes of all his peers following him from the door to his seat but then being called out by his professor for not paying attention not that long after, Jaehyun was ready to drop that class and call it a day. Maybe he was a bit dramatic about it all, but the possibility of all these strangers solely knowing him as the kid who showed up late and proceeded to get scolded like a child was enough for him to cut his losses. Or maybe they wouldn't think of him at all. Jaehyun never wished to be as unmemorable as he had right now.

His train of thought became derailed at a sudden chorus of laughter, stemming from neither of his friends beside him, and Jaehyun peered around Taeil in an effort to appease his curiosity and see where the source was. He could feel Yuta's arm tighten around his waist so he wouldn't fall forward while chocolate hues scanned the now bustling plaza. Which, to be fair, the plaza — while not _ technically _an actual plaza, had Jaehyun wanting to talk to whoever thought that was a good idea in the naming process and definitely _not _confusing — was the only bridge connecting the main campus to East Campus, which had upperclassmen dorms and the Center for Career Education. So it only made sense for it to grow busier as the day progressed, but that didn't mean Jaehyun had to be happy about it. Seldom did Jaehyun see students utilize Revson as a hang out spot rather than just a connecting passage from one side of campus to the other, and each time he sat on the seemingly permanent icicle state of the stone benches, he remembered why that was.

Jaehyun can't remember what made this group of students stand out from the others when there was always one passing through which rivaled his friend group for Most Annoyingly Loud, and they had a reputation to uphold and Revson to lay claim on. Even through the stream of bodies, his ears perked at the steady stream of giggles and was able to follow the source until he found himself staring at what surely couldn't be five students because they all looked like freaking models. Jaehyun suddenly felt insecure in his already worn track pants and whatever thrifted shirt he managed to grab from his closet in his rush.

Each of them was dressed far too nice for any reasonable student who had to be out of their dorms before noon. They were all sharp jawlines, quiffed hair, and clear skin, and Jaehyun had it under good authority to assume they were not, in fact, students, but aliens. There was no other explanation, and he wouldn't accept anything else.

"I swear the international students have some weird pact that you need to be attractive and reasonably fashionable to join their friend group. It's like a cult," Yuta spoke up. 

Jaehyun blinked before realizing that he was talking about the group of boys that caught his attention, "They're all freakishly hot," he murmured, eyebrows knitted together in thought as he watched them slowly head toward Main Campus. There was a shorter boy with catlike features wearing an ostentatious leopard print sweater with leather pants talking loudly and gesticulating wildly, much to the visible dismay of the taller blonde boy beside him as he prevented them from making much progress in their walk. 

"Sorry, Jaehyun, you'll never be invited then," Taeil teased and snickered when Jaehyun retaliated with a poorly aimed kick to the shin.

Whatever retort Jaehyun had soon disappeared, and his mouth suddenly felt dry, like he had swallowed cotton and all the words he wanted to verbalize evaporated into the humid air around him. A slender boy appeared from the group, previously hidden behind the bodies of his friends and _ listen _— Jaehyun had taken his fair share of literature courses where each of his professors shared some weird circle jerk over Shakespeare to hold discussions over the merits of love at first sight when it came to nearly all of his plays, and he still thought it was bullshit. Instant attraction? Yeah, sure, that he could get behind because a good portion of the Earth's population is horny and have functioning eyes. Love, at first sight, was another thing altogether, and Romeo and Juliet both died as a result of it, so that wasn't much of a feasible argument in support of it. Jaehyun was, by no means, a believer in love at first sight, but _holy shit _— this boy had him reconsidering.

From his position on the bench, he noticed the boy had tousled honey blonde hair, artfully splayed across his forehead, with circular wire-framed glasses sitting atop the bridge of his nose. Jaehyun was glad he couldn't see the boy's eyes because of the distance; otherwise, he would genuinely be a goner. There was a gentle smile pulling at his lips as he opted to stay silent while the rest of his friends spoke, and he seemed content to stand there and be an observer, dainty hands wrapped around the straps of his backpack. The boy wasn't the tallest amongst his friends but certainly had height on his leopard sweater-wearing friend, leading Jaehyun to believe that he would have an inch or two on the boy. He couldn't help but stare, drawn to the long expanse of the stranger's legs that were all the more noticeable from the tightness of the jeans he had on. Jaehyun was only human, all right? It was hard to do anything but pay attention when the rips in the boy's jeans showcased milky skin that was starkly juxtaposed by the black of his pants. He would feel bad for his blatant gawking since he wasn't exactly subtle, but Jaehyun couldn't find it in himself to care when he was sure the world's prettiest boy was twenty feet away. There was a softness to him, and the combination of a plain white shirt under the pastel lavender denim jacket he had on only solidified that.

Yeah, Jaehyun was whipped.

"Oh my God; that's him!" Yuta exclaimed, his grip tightening around Jaehyun's waist and nearly relocating his internal organs in the process.

He squirmed with an audible gasp of discomfort and retreated against Yuta's shoulder in an attempt to prevent any further bodily harm as Taeil said, "That's who?"

"The cute guy in my Lit Theory class! His name is Sicheng; he's the blonde one!"

Maybe it was a bit concerning how quickly his heart felt like it had relocated itself in his throat at the possibility of Yuta's crush being the beautiful boy in the lavender denim jacket. He doesn't even know the stranger, but that doesn't keep his heart from clenching at the thought.

"Three of them are blonde, dumbass; you have to be more specific," Taeil replied, exasperation in his tone, and Jaehyun could relate.

Yuta huffed and shot Taeil a glare, "The one in the Off-White sweater," he answered and cut Taeil off when he started to speak again, "and before you ask, it's the grey sweater that literally says Off-White down the arm."

Taeil muttered something inaudible under his breath. Jaehyun exhaled, a wave of reassurance washing over him.

He let the bickering of his friends go over his head, though impossible to ignore entirely when his back was pressed against Yuta's chest, and he could feel the rumbling vibrations of his voice from the position. The chance of ever seeing this nameless boy again was slim, though, by a basis of assumption, Jaehyun could deduct that he was probably a Columbia student as well. So perhaps not all that slim, but regardless, Jaehyun doesn't remember him being in any of his classes because he would surely remember someone with a face like that. He indulged himself in the melancholic feeling of a missed chance sink low in his gut and continued to watch them pass by. 

Almost as though he could sense Jaehyun's attention on him, the boy turned, and their eyes met. Jaehyun's breath hitched. The previous gentle smile that was on his visage earlier returned, albeit more bashful, and he ducked his head in a silent greeting. His smile reminded Jaehyun of the warmth of the sun on his skin, and he was ready to burn. 

Yuta's presence behind him suddenly felt oppressive and the arm around his waist constricting. There was so much he wanted to say — wanted to do, and time felt like it had stilled, offering Jaehyun the chance to do more than just watch this boy walk away.

Then the dark-haired boy in the leopard print sweater tugged at his arm, and his gaze snapped away from Jaehyun toward his friend.

Jaehyun felt cold. Time continued.


	2. Chapter 2

A week passed, and the presence of the beautiful boy in Revson lingered in the back of his mind. It lessened since that day, but Jaehyun still believed as though something intangible had slipped through his fingers. He regretted ever shitting on Shakespeare and his easily infatuated characters because now he understood.

Work and school kept him busy — kept him in a continuous state of exhaustion that had him drinking his body weight in coffee to the point where the baristas at the coffee shop on campus knew his name and his usual, give or take an extra shot of espresso. On a day where he had two free hours between his last class and when he had to be at work, he collapsed on the living room couch near where Johnny and Dahlia sat, and Johnny had joked about how Jaehyun should connect himself to an IV drip filled with caffeine. At the time, he had only grunted in acknowledgment and then grunted again when Dahlia lept up with a bark from her spot beside Johnny and settled directly on his lap. Now he was reconsidering.

It's the following Friday, and the clock on the stove reads a quarter past seven when Jaehyun finally made it home with sore feet and a blossoming headache that he can sense right between his eyes. Work hadn't been too horrible now that Minseok and Taeyeon had returned from some photography conference and trade show in Nashville. Things felt less like they were close to collapse with the two of them back. Don't get Jaehyun wrong; he thought Doyoung was cool as a friend and someone to talk to when they worked alongside one another, but as a supervisor in charge of the whole studio during their bosses' absence? Not so much. Doyoung's meticulous nature and snippy comments were hilarious when Jaehyun wasn't on the receiving end of them or around for one of his bad moods. Which weren't all that often up until the past week, but Jaehyun could only imagine the stress of taking on a workload meant for two people and only have a few days of preparation. 

Especially when Minseok had forgotten to mark said conference on the work calendar, and its general existence was unbeknown to Taeyeon until the days leading up.

"How'd it end up going?" Jaehyun had asked when he entered the studio kitchen earlier that day, and the first thing he saw was Taeyeon curled up on the couch with her sweatshirt tossed haphazardly across her face. His question earned him a muffled response. "That bad, huh?"

"She's just being dramatic," Minseok said, walking past Jaehyun toward the fridge and retrieving a water bottle.

Taeyeon snatched the sweatshirt from off her face and scowled at Minseok's back. Strands of her hair had pulled loose from her ponytail, frizzing slightly from the static and sticking upward toward the decorative pillow where her head rested.

"Dramatic, my ass," she snapped, and with impeccable timing, she balled up her sweatshirt and tossed it at the back of Minseok's head, only for him to turn last minute and get a face full the fabric. He sputtered as it fell to the ground. "He booked our flights on Southwest, and we had different boarding groups, yeah? I go first thinking that Minseok will find me when he boards, and if anything, I'll tell people I'm waiting for my friend — no big deal. Ten minutes pass and we stop boarding; the flight attendants start going over the safety precautions, and I'm sitting there with a bag of Goldfish on the seat next to me — the one he made _ me _ buy for him because he was too lazy to get his wallet out of his carry-on — and I'm like '_what the fuck? _ '. So I head toward the bathrooms to speak to one of the flight attendants, and guess what?" Taeyeon paused, her voice rising an octave higher before pointing at Minseok. "_This _ thirsty bitch is practically sitting in some stranger's lap, about two minutes away from getting on his knees in economy and sucking this guy's dick! Meanwhile, this dude looks like he's barely hit puberty!"

Minseok immediately turned to Jaehyun, and when he spoke, his voice was nearly the same pitch as Taeyeon's. "This is defamation! Don't listen to her — she's just bitter because she hasn't gotten laid since July!" he exclaimed with a huff. "And I'll have you know his name was Luhan, and he's turning thirty this year, and as it turns out, he was heading to the same conference as us. Besides —" Minseok paused, tilting his chin upward as he walked past Jaehyun and Taeyeon and toward the office. He stopped with his hand on the door handle and spared them a glance over his shoulder. "I sucked his dick at the hotel, not on the plane."

Jaehyun wasn't quite sure how the actual conference went, or if they had established connections to benefit the studio. Taeyeon would mumble nonsense when Doyoung brought it up later with genuine curiosity in his tone; meanwhile, Minseok was holed up in the studio office with the door shut. Every so often when Jaehyun entered the kitchen to grab a drink from the fridge for a client that he was helping Doyoung with, he could hear giggling coming from behind the door, and the recognizable typing sound of an iPhone. Jaehyun didn't know anyone his age who kept their phone on anything other than silent, and the fact that Minseok willingly left his sound on was strangely unnerving. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense that his boss would. Jaehyun left work feeling unsettled that night.

It was during his trek into the kitchen to see if dinner had been made in his absence that Jaehyun became aware of the odd silence inhabiting the apartment. His hand hesitated on the fridge handle; movements stilled as he strained his ears to pick up on any sound from further inside. There was a ghost of a melody that his brain registered, and while unable to distinguish the artist, he could deduct it wasn't Chanyeol from the lack of heavy drums or the obnoxious parroting of DJ Khaled shouting his own name. That and neither Dahlia or Duke had charged at him with unparalleled enthusiasm upon entry, which meant that Chanyeol was probably out running in Madison Square Park and brought the two of them along. 

Jaheyun decided it was better to enjoy the small gift of serenity and not question it further. He'd have enough noise from his roommates to instigate his headache further later on in the night. Speaking of — Jaehyun reached toward the cabinet above their fridge, lips pursing when he opened it with ease, but his fingers only grazed the bottle of ibuprofen and had to lean upward on his toes briefly to grab it. Not the best of ideas when his feet were already protesting in pain from all his walking earlier. He downed two pills dry with the hope that the matching pain in his head and feet would ebb away by the time everyone else got home. 

It shouldn't be as much of a surprise to Jaehyun when he opened the fridge and found no evidence of dinner being made and put away — not when he was the delegated cook between his friends. He usually didn't mind too much since Johnny often acted as a helpful assistant in the kitchen without ever having to be asked, and Jaehyun truly did appreciate the help. Johnny was the only other person in the apartment who showed decent knowledge when it came to food preparation despite how minimal. Chanyeol and Taeil were hopeless, fully content to live off of Postmates and microwaveable pizza for the rest of their lives. Jaehyun can think back to their first Thanksgiving spent together, and while he looked back with fondness, it was the last time he left Chanyeol and Taeil unsupervised in the kitchen. He remembered coming home after picking up their apple pie to the sound of their fire alarm going off with a shrieking Chanyeol pulling the turkey out of the oven. As it turned out, not only did the turkey burn from the negligence of his friends in his absence, but Chanyeol had left his ashtray on the kitchen table, and Taeil mistook it for the turkey rub and proceeded to season the turkey with it. They ended up having dinner at a nearby diner not long after. 

His headache pulsed at the memory.

Jaehyun sighed. The idea of cooking something seemed daunting when all he wanted to do was collapse on his bed and cocoon himself in his blankets while he dozed off to whatever episode of Criminal Minds. Jaehyun begrudgingly waddled to his room. He quickly kicked off his sneakers, changed into a pair of sweatpants, and slid on his comfortable slippers with enough padding to support both his aching feet and the emotional scarring of Thanksgiving past. Which, in itself, acted as motivation to get started on making something for dinner and keeping everyone but him and Johnny out.

A blaring synth line and saxophone riff suddenly grew louder in volume on Jaehyun's way out of his room, and he paused. Carly Rae Jepsen? Well, that answered his question from earlier — _ definitely _ Johnny.

After taking a look in the fridge, it was actually pretty sad just how barren it was, and Jaehyun wondered when the last time they went grocery shopping had been. Add that to the list of things to be done. The fact that his mind failed him coming up with a memory seemed very telling, but Jaehyun was nothing if not persistent. He'd be damned if he was going to let his night end with him being hungry and bitter after the shitshow of his day. With a few moments to gather up a game plan, Jaehyun searched through the cabinets and fridge, feeling like he was about to be yelled at by Gordon Ramsay for his slow thinking. He eventually settled on the last two boxes of spaghetti and figured he could make something work — there was nothing pasta couldn't save. Even with the empty state of their fridge, Jaehyun pulled out some wilting scallions, gochujang, leftover scraps of pork belly, and a particularly sad jar of kimchi from the back. The kimchi looked like it had seen much fresher days, and Jaehyun eyed it warily. Would it give them all horrible food poisoning and potential death from how ripe it might be? Maybe. Was he also incredibly hungry and willing to risk it? Yes.

He opened the jar, risking a sniff, and the tanginess of the smell had him scrunching his nose. Not too bad. There was always the possibility of drying out the kimchi then using the juice as a seasoning to the pasta before sauteing the leftovers. A metaphorical lightbulb went off over his head, and Jaehyun got to work.

Jaehyun wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it was as he was finishing up with the pasta and beginning to add the dried kimchi to his pan of pork belly that he heard the sound of footsteps coming toward the kitchen. He spared a glance just in time to see Johnny padding over; headphones draped around his neck and hair especially fluffy. 

"Something smells good."

"Had to draw you out of your room somehow. Apparently, my presence isn't enough anymore." Jaehyun quipped, an easy smile pulling at his lips as Johnny stopped beside him with a laugh.

Johnny clicked his tongue and proceeded to poke Jaehyun where he assumed one of his dimples was making an appearance. "Not fair. You didn't bother to come in and say hello, so how could I know?" He pointed out and chuckled as Jaehyun swatted his hand away.

He offered a thoughtful hum, lightly stirring the kimchi and pork belly while side-eyeing Johnny in thinly veiled amusement. "You seemed to be having a very enthusiastic yet intimate moment with Carly Rae Jepsen judging by how loud your speakers suddenly got when she came on. Who am I to intrude on such a moment?" 

Jaehyun snickered while Johnny blushed.

"You were here for that?"

"Mhm."

"Well," Johnny paused before shrugging, "I'd rather it be you than Chanyeol.”

"Speaking of —" Jaehyun broke off, mind suddenly aware of the pasta and laid the wooden spoon down. Was it ready? His new sense of concentration must have confused Johnny because, from his peripheral vision, he could see his friend cock his head to the side. "Sorry," he murmured and moved his attention over to the pot of spaghetti. "I'm pretty sure it's ready. Wanna do the honors?" Jaehyun managed to ask and used the spoon in the pot to stir the cooked pasta one last time before lifting some strands.

Johnny was silent for a moment, and Jaehyun glanced away from the dangling pasta toward him with raised eyebrows. Realization seemed to sink in, and Johnny's bemused expression gave way to a grin. "You mean, like, throwing it at the wall to see if it sticks?" It was hard to miss the excited lilt in his voice, and Jaehyun felt nothing but fondness for his friend at that moment.

"Well, maybe not the wall; I don't wanna end up staining it. Try throwing it at one of the cabinets." Jaehyun advised, a giggle bubbling out past his lips. 

He offered out the spoon and watched in interest as Johnny peeled off a few strands then proceeded to whip it at the cabinets that were only a few feet away. Jaehyun could've sworn he heard a muffled '_yeet!_' from Johnny, and it was impossible to hold back his snort, dropping the spoon back into the pot as laughter overcame him. Johnny followed suit, an obnoxious cackle joining his own and pointed at the pasta, barely clinging onto the cabinets. The high gloss acrylic finish wasn't the ideal texture for pasta throwing as the strands slowly drooped before losing to gravity, and they fell to the floor, leaving behind wet marks on the white. It was a stupid thing to laugh at — so insanely dumb and childish, but Johnny's laughter only instigated his own and Jaehyun had to move and lean against the nearby wall behind him for support. The accented wall of exposed brick was uncomfortable against his back, yet a hiccup of giggles still tumbled out and made it hard to breathe.

"Oh my God," Jaehyun wheezed and clutched the fabric of his shirt over where his heart would be. His mouth was beginning to hurt from smiling so much. "you're ridiculous."

"You love it, though," Johnny replied while he leaned down to pick up the fallen pasta and tossed it in the garbage. After a moment's consideration, he turned off the burner underneath the cooked pot of spaghetti before joining Jaehyun to lean against the wall. He gave an exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows and turned, so he was facing Jaehyun. "Hey."

Jaehyun refocused his gaze on his friend, chocolate hues shining in amusement despite not being quite sure where this was heading. "Hey, yourself."

"You come here often?"

Silence.

"I hate you so much." Jaehyun guffawed, pushing Johnny away and moving back toward the stove while Johnny's laughter echoed behind him. He shot him a playful glare from over his shoulder as he went to drain the pasta in the sink. "Not even offering to help me out with dinner."

"To be fair, you haven't even told me what you're making." 

Jaehyun let the pasta sit in the colander while he checked on the kimchi and pork belly. The smell was fragrant, and the kimchi had started to brown while the pork belly seemed cooked — all good signs. "Hand me the colander with the pasta, please." He asked and picked up the wooden spoon to push around some stray pieces of pork belly that could cook more, and murmured a small '_thank you_' to Johnny when he appeared beside him. "I'm making what I guess you could say is kimchi pasta. They were the only safe and edible options in our kitchen. We have to stop by Trader Joe's sometime tomorrow, by the way." Jaehyun accepted the colander then used the wooden spoon to slowly add the spaghetti into the pan with the kimchi and pork belly. 

Johnny hummed and propped his hip against the edge of the countertop. "Sounds good to me. We can write up a list after dinner when Yeol and Tae are here." There was a pause as Johnny leaned in closer to smell the food. "Smells delicious, but that's to be expected at this point."

Now it was his turn to blush. Jaehyun could feel the rush of blood to his face, painting his cheeks red. "Yeah, yeah," he deflected, ducking his head and hiding the small smile pulling at the corners of his lips by busying himself with adding the mixed sauce of kimchi juice and gochujang to the meal. He could feel Johnny's watchful gaze following his movement, only making him feel even more overheated. "Can you set the table for me while I finish this up?" 

Another deflection.

"Do you know where the other two are?" Jaehyun asked, licking his dry lips and staring down at the kimchi pasta with knitted eyebrows. He turned off the rest of the burners and decided to let the food cool down for a minute or so before bringing it to the table. It seemed like it came out great, his earlier worries regarding the kimchi now nonexistent.

There was a clacking of the plates being put down. "Yeol was home when I got here and playing Overwatch on the PS4 with the double D's on the couch. I was finishing up some homework in my room when he came in, like, twenty minutes later? Maybe? He said he was heading out to the park for a run with the dogs. That wasn't too long before you got back," Johnny paused in consideration. "I think I remember Tae mentioning meeting up with Yuta and something about heading over to Cava."

Jaehyun nodded to himself. So they would be home relatively soon. If not in an immediate sense, then he could easily place the leftovers in tupperware for them to reheat in the microwave — something to hold them over until they could go grocery shopping tomorrow. His shift ended around four, which left more than enough time for them all to head out. He laid the wooden spoon on the counter and shuffled over the cabinet where all the glasses were, and picked out two. 

What he wasn't expecting was to turn and be face to face with Johnny. 

"Holy shit," Jaehyun sputtered, eyes widening in surprise and back pressed up against the edge of the countertop. The coolness of the glasses hugged against his chest helped anchor him, supplying some form of realness that this _ was _ something happening. He didn't even hear Johnny come back from setting the table, let alone see him walk over. "Asshole! You could've warned me," he huffed and could very well feel his cheeks burning again.

Johnny's mouth quirked upward into a smirk and placed his arms on either side of the counter, successfully bracketing Jaehyun in. "You didn't hear me?" He teased, tone laced in a level of coquetry that had alarm bells start to sound off in Jaehyun's head.

Heat radiated off of Johnny from such proximity and did nothing to help the current state of Jaehyun. Any logical thoughts evaded him, suddenly as though his mind was static with no clear message able to be transmitted. See, the thing was — Johnny was fucking _ intimidating _. Not in the frightening sense, at least, because Jaehyun associated Johnny with home and home was where he was most comfortable. More so, having to do with the fact that he had the perturbing ability to focus his gaze on one person and make them feel as though he can see right through all the bullshit and know exactly what they were feeling. Desirable in some situations, and unnerving in others. Currently, Jaehyun was torn on where he stood.

"Obviously not." His voice came out like a whisper — nothing like Johnny's radiating confidence. "What are you doing?" Jaehyun's mouth felt dry, tongue darting out to lick his lips and noting the way Johnny followed its movements. So _ this _ is where things were heading.

"You look good." Was all he initially got in response. From the slight height difference, Jaehyun found himself staring at Johnny's plump lips while he talked, and it took a few seconds for his brain to process what he said next. Johnny could tell the effect he was starting to have on him, and the smug bastard smirked. "Smell nice too — like vanilla." 

Jaehyun flushed. For his own sanity, he tore his attention away from Johnny's lips and made the mistake of looking up. Under the LED lighting, Johnny's whiskey-colored eyes shined bright, and Jaehyun found himself unable to move. He opened his mouth to speak, but Johnny inched a leg inbetween his own, pressing its weight against his dick, and Jaehyun gasped. He was only human, all right?

"The — the food," Jaehyun offered weakly. Johnny only added more pressure to Jaheyun's growing erection and raised a mocking eyebrow when it resulted in a pitiful whine escaping Jaehyun. "The guys could come home soon."

Johnny only trailed his fingers up Jaehyun's arm in a ghost of a touch, erupting a ticklish sensation, and he could only let out a shaky breath. Any brief thoughts regarding the food he just spent time cooking vanished when Johnny's hand found purchase on the nape of his neck, fisting the hair at the base and using it as leverage to pull Jaehyun's head to the side. The moan he let out was embarrassing to his own ears just at the idea of being this impacted from so little. Jaehyun shut his eyes and gave up control. 

Johnny chuckled, and Jaehyun only had a second to register how much closer he sounded before he felt the heat of Johnny's breath against his cheek. "They could. They're not here yet, though," he murmured as he trailed his lips along Jaehyun's jawline. "You're so good to us; let me take care of you right now." 

Jaehyun could only moan in response, shamelessly pressing his erection down onto Johnny's thigh and rutting against it like some horny teenager. That's sure as hell what he felt like at the moment, but he wasn't going to complain at the unexpected turn his night took. He wanted nothing more to give himself further to Johnny, except he had his arms full of drinking glasses and no ability to put them anywhere else. He whined.

It's about damn time when Johnny's lips move down from his jawline and make quick work leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses against his neck. Jaehyun can only strain his neck to allow for more access. The wet heat of Johnny's mouth on his skin leaves him gasping and seeking more friction against his dick, and it's when Johnny bites and sucks down on a sensitive juncture of his neck that Jaehyun lets out a moan that sounds wrecked even to his own ears.

There's not much room for embarrassment when this isn't the first time he's allowed Johnny to work him up to a state like this. Jaehyun is about to suggest moving to the bedroom, or just keeping this going but with fewer clothes between them, when muffled barks and loud laughter filter through the door. Admittedly, it takes his brain some time to catch up after a particularly rough grind down on Johnny's thigh, and his eyes shoot open. Johnny doesn't seem to notice as he continues his ministrations on Jaehyun's neck, and he's about to give in to pleasure and let him continue, but his gaze lands on the entry door across the room from them barely twenty feet away.

"Johnny," Jaehyun gasped, biting down on his lip to withhold another whimper when his attempts of pushing himself away only made him see stars. "They're coming — I hear the dogs." 

Johnny seemed to acknowledge that because almost immediately, he pulled away from Jaehyun's neck and removed his leg. The sudden lack of friction had a more distressed whine leave his lips, though the prospect of having Chanyeol and Taeil walking in to see him shamelessly dry-humping Johnny's thigh acted enough as a mood killer. Johnny, on the other hand, looked especially pleased with himself before reaching into the open cabinet beside Jaehyun's head and retrieving two more glasses. He shot Jaehyun a wink and pressed a quick kiss to his lips then headed toward the table, leaving Jaehyun to awkwardly adjust his erection and hope to whatever deity that no one would question the slight tentage in his sweatpants.

The two drinking glasses weighed heavily against his chest. He could only blink down at them, head fuzzy as he let out bated breath. Any remnants of the moment vanished at the sound of the door unlocking, and he glanced over in time to see the furry bodies of Duke and Dahlia trotting in with Chanyeol in tow. Jaehyun only had time to shake out his hair in a last-minute attempt of looking slightly less disheveled and not like he was getting off with Johnny against the counter before Dahlia noticed him and ran over with an enthusiastic bark. She jumped up in excitement, claws tapping against the wooden floors before nudging her head up against his leg. 

Jaehyun grinned and placed the glasses on the counter behind him. "Hey there, girl," he greeted, and could hear Chanyeol snort at the higher octave that his voice climbed to, but _ whatever _ — it was his dog voice, and Dahlia responded to it well. Chanyeol didn't have room to talk shit when Jaehyun could walk past his closed bedroom door on any given night to use the bathroom and hear him singing Duke to sleep. 

He squatted to eye level with her and rubbed her side, which earned him a lick to his cheek. Jaehyun gave another pet to her head before she bounded back over to Duke, both dashing past Chanyeol and Johnny to claim their spot on the couches. Taeil decided to make his appearance shortly after, chattering quietly with Baekhyun and shutting the door with a sharp kick to it.

"You guys made it in time; I just finished dinner," Jaehyun said in an attempt to keep his voice level, quickly adjusting his pants one last time before grabbing the pan of kimchi pasta and joining the others. Baekhyun flashed him a smile paired with a wave, and Jaehyun returned it with his own. "Long time no see, dude."

"Tell me about it! Work is kicking my ass, and I'm not even having a good time anymore," Baekhyun complained. "Do you know how many shitty manuscripts I go through in a day in the hopes of finding at least two decent ones to pass on for the Managing Editor to view?" Quite admittedly, Jaehyun got distracted from Baekhyun's newly dyed mop of bubblegum pink hair and nearly missed the table when setting the pan of food down.

"I'm gonna place a wild bet and say it's a lot," Chanyeol gave Baekhyun a sympathetic squeeze to the shoulder, and Baekhyun's features softened. His attention then redirected to Jaehyun, hand dropping to his side with a twinge of concern filtering across his face. "You okay, dude? You look flushed; drink some water."

He coughed. "Yeah. I just —" A pause, and Jaehyun waved his hand. "The heat from cooking, you know? Stood by too long." That was a pathetic excuse, and he didn't even want to see Johnny's expression, but Chanyeol merely nodded.

"I'll grab another plate for him then," Taeil interjected, tossing his backpack against the wall before heading to the kitchen.

Jaehyun could sense Johnny lingering nearby and avoided his gaze by distributing the kimchi pasta on the available plates. It was difficult to ignore when he was paranoid that he looked as debauched as he felt, like everyone else in the room could pick up on what they'd been up to before they got home. Taeil's appearance with an additional plate and cutlery for Baekhyun helped shield Johnny from view, and Jaehyun let out a breath. He could hear Chanyeol and Baekhyun's voices drifting from the kitchen and the sound of the faucet running, which reminded him that he left the other glasses on the counter. He placed the pan down in the middle of the table and was about to retrieve them when Johnny popped up beside him. Jaehyun became hyper-aware of the hand resting flush against the dip of his back as Johnny leaned in to place said drinking glasses filled with water on the table. 

Risking a glance, he swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to Johnny, who was purposefully avoiding his gaze with a satisfied lift to his lips. "You seem distracted."

"And you're _ annoying_," Jaehyun fired back with no real heat to his words. For extra impact, he bumped his hip against Johnny's with enough force to have his friend take a step back to rebalance himself. How Johnny was so openly brazen and not at all worried about Taeil and Chanyeol finding out they've been hooking up behind their backs was something lost to him.

Johnny only snickered and took a seat at the table. Everyone else followed suit, and Jaehyun let Baekhyun take his usual spot while he went to fill Duke and Dahlia's bowl with their dinner. Their kitchen table was small due to space issues, only really able to seat four at a time, so Jaehyun figured he could lean against the back of the couch while eating and still contribute to the conversation.

"Jae, where are you going to sit?" Taeil asked.

Jaehyun piled up some kimchi pasta on his dish and lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. "I figured I'd just eat on the couch." Several unidentifiable noises blended together, which sounded vaguely dissatisfied, and Jaehyun raised his eyebrows, gaze flickering between his friends in amusement.

"You can't eat by yourself; I'd feel bad for taking your spot," Baekhyun pouted.

"I won't be by myself. You guys are, like, not even ten feet away, and I'd have Duke and Dahlia with me." Jaehyun replied easily. Duke then let out a bark, almost as though he was backing him up, on his trot over to the food bowls. It was nice to know his friends cared, even if the fuss was trivial.

Johnny shook his head with a _ tut _ of his tongue. Jaehyun stepped back after filling his plate and glimpsed over to see what he was doing when he heard the feet of the chair scrape against the floor. "You can sit on my lap," Johnny stated with a pat to his legs.

Chanyeol and Taeil snorted while Jaehyun was pretty sure he looked incredulous, mouth agape and eyes wide. He chuckled, albeit somewhat awkwardly, and shifted his weight. "That's — no, guys, I'm fine."

"Bullshit," Chanyeol scolded and wagged his fork at him.

Jaehyun frowned.

"You're the one who cooked and spent all that time standing, so you should sit," Baekhyun objected.

There was a mix of voices added together, and Jaehyun could momentarily sense the passing remnants of his headache. He really didn't think it was as big of a deal as his friends were making it out to be — touching, yes. Necessary? No. Johnny and Chanyeol were bickering while he just stood in the space between the couch and table, twirling pasta around his fork.

"You're all so _ loud_. And annoying," Taeil finally said, raising his voice enough to stand out among the noise and consequently shutting everyone else up. He scooted his chair back and shimmied, so he was only sitting on half the chair before gesturing at the unoccupied half. "You're sitting here, Jae. Last week you gave me your coffee even though you looked like shit." Jaehyun shot him an unimpressed look. "No offense, but y'know, also kinda true. You should sleep more. Anyway, you're sitting here, or else you're probably going to end up killing off Johnny's chance of ever having children."

There was silence. 

Jaehyun cleared his throat with the sound of Chanyeol snickering into his glass of water. "Well, then," he said lamely on the small trek over to Taeil and sitting on his half. The fit was mildly uncomfortable but bearable. All he had to do was rest his knee against the leg of the table to steady himself.

Conversation seemed to flow easier after that, and Jaehyun was content to coasting by with occasional hums of agreement and supplementary words while eating his food. He accepted compliments regarding dinner with pinkening cheeks and a smile hidden behind the rim of his glass. It was hard to avoid eye contact with Johnny when they were seated adjacent to one another. Jaehyun nearly choked on a bit of pork belly when a foot ran up his calf, hooking around his ankle, and the glare he shot at Johnny lacked any real bite as Taeil shoved his water back into his hands. 

"Here; drink this slowly," Taeil advised, lips pulled down in concern while his hand came up to rub Jaehyun's back comfortingly.

Jaehyun eyed Johnny as he took a sip. Johnny merely blinked innocently. With a swift kick to his leg, the resulting pained expression on Johnny's visage was enough to put Jaehyun at ease.

After that, he tuned into Taeil's conversation with Johnny, and from his peripheral vision, he saw Dahlia retreating toward his bedroom. Most likely heading off to sleep if the run was as exhausting as he believed it to be. Duke's floppy ears peeked just above the table as he claimed his spot beside Chanyeol — probably hoping for any spared bits of food as Chanyeol was more generous than he should really be. By the tone of Baekhyun's voice, he seemed to be already scolding Chanyeol for feeding Duke his bits of pork belly.

"That's too fatty for him, and the kimchi on it could upset his stomach!"

Jaehyun heard Taeil chuckle and turned in time to see his friend roll his eyes. "I swear, they're a freaking married couple even though Chanyeol's a complete dumbass," Taeil uttered before shoveling pasta into his mouth.

Johnny nodded and waved a hand in front of Chanyeol's face to grab his attention, effectively ending his rebuttal to Baekhyun. "I ran into Kyungsoo and Seulgi when getting the mail earlier, and they said that the landlord's planning on raising rent next month."

"What the hell? They literally just raised it last May," Chanyeol complained, and the way he stabbed down at a piece of kimchi on his plate matched how Jaehyun felt.

A brief silence enveloped the group, and it was understandable why. Rent was crazy expensive to begin with; Jaehyun could barely scrounge together the current fifteen-hundred dollars he owed each month with his additional hours at the photography studio. His parents back home in Connecticut gave him a generous monthly allowance that he never vocally requested, but they sent anyway because of his only child status. Yuta often poked fun at him for it, but seeing the money added to his checking account on the first of every month only ever made his stomach churn — like he was somehow cheating on this whole adult thing. Being able to say he was financially independent was something Jaehyun always wanted. The price of living in New York made that more difficult than he anticipated. Yet, he knew that there was no room to complain considering how he was fortunate enough to be in a situation where his parents were able to provide him with money every month. Jaehyun stayed silent and moved the kimchi around his plate.

"Didn't they say something about renovations?" Johnny offered.

Chanyeol made a displeased noise. "If they are, then that's just bullshit. They did renovations before we even moved in."

Jaehhyun's eyes flickered between his friends while nibbling on his last bit of pork belly. Taeil abruptly snapping his fingers had everyone's attention.

"Wait a minute, Yeol. Aren't you fucking the landlord's son? Can't you just — I don't know? Work whatever magic like you did the last time his dad tried raising rent?" 

A point was made. While Jaehyun had never met the landlord's son, he had to appreciate the guy's susceptibility to Chanyeol's horrible flirting. Though, he imagined that the assumption of having a big dick came with height, so Chanyeol at least had that going for him.

"You mean Sehun?" Chanyeol stared at Taeil, a contemplative look on his face.

Baekhyun had become uncharacteristically silent as he seemed to be hyper-focused on twirling whatever pasta he had left on his plate with his fork. Jaehyun couldn't help but feel bad for him. It's not like for lack of trying on Baekhyun's part of getting his feelings across; Chanyeol was just a fucking idiot. Loveable, but an idiot nonetheless. It must suck having a crush on your best friend when they were too dense to pick up on the fact.

Taeil nodded. "Yeah! Him! You were able to knock off six hundred last May when they tried raising it more. I can't believe I'm saying this, dude, but put that dick of yours to use." 

Johnny snorted.

Chanyeol's thoughtful expression morphed into something more doubtful. "I don't know; the last time we fucked, he said something about going on a date with some hot grad student. So who knows how that went or what came of it."

Jaehyun let out a breath of a laugh and shook his head. "Yeah, like you ever miss out on an opportunity to get laid." Johnny made a noise of agreement, while Taeil pointed his fork at Jaehyun and shot an unimpressed look at Chanyeol.

"When was the last time you guys hooked up?" Baekhyun asked out of the blue.

Chanyeol straightened in his seat and blinked over at Baekhyun. Jaehyun peeked over at Taeil, who only shook his head before meeting Jaehyun's gaze with pursed lips.

"Maybe like three weeks ago? I don't remember the exact day," Chanyeol shrugged.

Baekhyun nodded, a forced attempt of a natural smile distorting his features. "Cool." His voice sounded just as strained.

"Either way, I'll test it out and get back to you guys."

The sound of a chair scraping against the wooden floors snapped Jaehyun's focus away from Taeil, and toward the source where Baekhyun stood, plate in hand.

"Delicious food, Jae. I'll help clean up."

Jaehyun met Johnny's fixed stare. He offered a sympathetic look, and Johnny seemed to realize that tonight there wouldn't be a resolution to what they started in the kitchen earlier. With a final sip of his water, Jaehyun stood with his empty plate and followed Baekhyun into the kitchen.

—

By the time Jaehyun arrived at work the next morning, he could tell things have simmered down since he was there last. First of all, there was no yelling, which was always a bonus. Secondly, a smooth and indie-esque melody filtered through speakers, which meant that Taeyeon was in for the day. He walked out of the entry lounge and across the studio space, picking up on the smell of espresso. Jaehyun sniffed and followed the scent over to one of the mirrored workspace areas where makeup artists and hairstylists often did their thing on clients when certain shoots called for it. Taeyeon stood chatting with Wendy, a freelance makeup artist who the studio often called in for more editorial-based shoots. They seemed to be sorting through Wendy's gigantic makeup collection, and Jaehyun was overwhelmed just by the sight of it.

"What're you both up to?" His gaze zoned in on the cup of coffee in Taeyeon's hand when she turned to him with a smile.

"Jaehyunnie! There's my favorite employee," Taeyeon greeted and padded over to give him a brief half-hug.

Jaehyun hugged back and waved at Wendy, who responded with her own. "What is it that you need exactly?" He asked, tone dropping in wariness. After everything that the day before had been, there was enough reason for him to be skeptical.

Wendy covered her giggle with her hand. She minimized the space between them, joining Taeyeon on the opposite side of Jaehyun, and he side-eyed the two women. "We were just talking about how handsome you are! And your skin so gorgeous — with no makeup, right?" 

When he nodded, Wendy reached up to pinch his cheek, and his lips were quick to pull down into a pout. He had no clue where this was heading, and he was afraid to ask. Taeyeon's mischievous expression was something too early for him to try and work through when he only had a minuscule coffee intake so far.

"We're just fucking with you," Taeyeon laughed, though her answer didn't do much to put him at ease. "But actually —" There it was. "You'd look great with some eyeshadow and blush. If you let Wendy do your make up some time, then I'll buy you lunch for the week."

Her words took a moment or so to process in his still slightly sleep-toggled mind, and Jaehyun blinked.

"Stop harassing the poor boy," Minseok said, marking his appearance by appearing behind Jaehyun and promptly scaring the shit out of him. 

If somebody saw his flinch, then they were kind enough not to mention it. Taeyeon let out a displeased huff and headed back over to the makeup table, Wendy joining her with a roll of her eyes and flick of her curled dark hair over her shoulder.

Jaehyun weighed his options before speaking. "Let me have the rest of your coffee, and I'll let you do whatever the hell you want to my face," He said with a nod to the mug in Taeyeon's hand.

Wendy and Taeyeon shared a devilish grin. Minseok patted Jaehyun's shoulder in what seemed like a comforting manner.

"You just dug your own grave, man," Minseok replied.

The next thing he knew, Taeyeon shoved her mug of coffee into his hands and mimicked Wendy by squeezing the apple of his cheeks. It'd be rude of him to swat her hands away after she gave him her coffee, so he just stood there feeling like a child getting smothered by his mother. He could hear Minseok move away to speak to Wendy about a client coming in soon for some headshots, so there went his chance of salvation.

"You're going to look so pretty!" Taeyeon gushed with another squeeze to his cheeks. Jaheyun groaned in discomfort before she finally spared his cheeks, which most likely were red from how hard she went in on them. "You're always very pretty, but just imagine you with some shimmer on the eyes and some smoked eyeliner?" Taeyeon whistled and rustled his hair. "Go to a club, and you'll knock 'em dead."

The idea of showing up to a club with Taeyeon and Minseok popped up in his mind, and he could only imagine the chaotic energy of it all with alcohol mixed into their systems when both were already a handful while sober. Yet, the prospect of having a recording of a drunken Minseok to hold over his head was oddly tempting. 

Jaehyun took a sip of the coffee and grinned against the rim of the glass. "Name a time and place."

Taeyeon's reply got cut off by Minseok, who turned to point at him, an unidentifiable and high pitched noise coming out of his mouth. 

"Jaehyunnie! I meant to tell you to go see Doyoung; he's in the storage room pulling out some Profoto strobes and about five seconds from strangling the new intern."

After being on the receiving end of Doyoung's low tolerance for bullshit for quite some time when he was an intern, he can only imagine how close Doyoung was to pulling out his hair. It's not so much that Doyoung disliked a majority of people, he was just..._ particular _ on how things got handled and with a specific vision in his head, which made it difficult for everyone else who was not Doyoung to get things done. Despite only being a year older than him, Doyoung knew his shit and not that Jaehyun would ever admit to it, but Doyoung intimidated the hell out of him during his first two weeks interning. Maybe a few tears were shed on coffee runs to the nearby Starbucks, though the winter chill at the time offered a great excuse when Taeyeon saw him near sprinting back into the building. Now used to his coworker's nitpicky ways and able to dance around his fluctuating moods, for the most part, Jaehyun enjoyed working with him and learning all that he could.

When Jaehyun entered the storage room, he saw a relatively unfamiliar face that he recognized as the new intern from running into him a handful of times during his shifts. Their schedules never really coincided all that well because of Jaehyun's morning classes and part-time status at the studio, while the intern appeared more during morning hours with night classes. Jaemin, was it? He wasn't too sure — proper introductions hadn't happened between them. Nevertheless, Jaemin looked unbothered as Doyoung scolded him with his back toward them while untangling a bunch of knotted wires.

"Truly, I'm sorry," Jaemin replied, amusement etched onto his features and arms crossed as he examined his nails. 

If Jaehyun hadn't entered when he did, it would be easy to register Jaemin's apology as sincere with his tone of voice modulating to come across as such, when his body language told a different story. Jaehyun studied the younger boy with his dark jeans and button-down shirt rolled to his elbows. Jaemin became aware of Jaehyun's presence and turned his head, offering a smirk and nonchalant shrug. Jaehyun decided he liked him.

"I don't see what's so hard, Jaemin!" Doyoung exclaimed, sounding near hysterical as he hunched over the mess of chords. "How come you weren't able to find the lights when I told you exactly where they were, but the moment I come in, I'm able to spot them right away?"

Jaehyun was grateful that Doyoung had his back to him, so he couldn't see him laughing. That made Jaemin snigger, attempting to hide it behind his hand, but ultimately, Doyoung heard and let out an affronted sputter. 

"What are you —" Doyoung cut himself off when he spun around, spotting Jaehyun, who took a sip from his coffee feeling amused at the situation. "There you are! I miss having you as an intern compared to this...this — gremlin!" He huffed and gestured over to a pleased looking Jaemin.

Jaehyun chuckled, finding Doyoung's misfortunes slightly more hilarious than he should. He could see Doyoung zeroing in on the mug of coffee in his hand, and his strained features contorted into something more relaxed.

"Jaemin, go get me something from the Starbucks across the street, and if you promise not to be as annoying when you get back, then you can get something for yourself." Doyoung abandoned the tangled wires, striding over and handing Jaemin his debit card. Jaemin's dark eyes shined even in the dim lighting of the storage room. "Don't buy anything ridiculous."

"You have such little faith in me." Was all Jaemin said before he was out of the room.

"Kids these days," Doyoung huffed. He must've decided the entangled wires were a mess for another time because he headed toward two Profoto D1 strobes that were on a different side of the room. "Can you help me roll these out?"

Jaehyun made sure the mug was secure in a free hand before closing the distance between him and the lights. He lifted one of the stands, following Doyoung out of the storage room and toward the smaller of the three studio spaces.

"What are these for?"

Doyoung placed the light he was holding near the Tether table and gestured for Jaehyun to do the same, but on the opposite side.

"They're for a client coming in soon, which leads me to my next point," he glanced at Jaehyun, who only raised his eyebrows. "The guy coming in wants me to photograph his cat, and while I love and support all domestic pets, the universe wasn't as kind when creating me, so I need you to do it. Otherwise, I'll just be scratching myself and sneezing all over the place, and nobody wants that."

That wasn't as bad as he had thought. Jaehyun nodded, lips pulling up into an amused smile when Doyoung exhaled, visibly relieved.

"Yeah, that's no big deal." Jaehyun had gotten past his initial nerves of photographing clients when brought on no longer as an intern, but an employee when the spring semester ended and he was able to pile on more hours. He pushed full-time hours, and both Minseok and Taeyeon liked him enough to teach him the ropes behind the camera beyond his basic knowledge as someone who viewed photography more as a hobby. Doyoung took some time to come around but eventually followed suit in being more open to training Jaehyun. Especially since the studio was growing in not only booked clients but in reputation as well, and that meant bringing in new and promising talent. Jaehyun included, along with a few other workers.

"Thanks. I really do appreciate it. You're doing fine on your own for a while now, but if you need anything, then feel free to grab me; I'll be in the office."

Before he ventured off to the office, Doyoung finished helping him set up the lighting rigs for the shoot and some additional settings and props since the information given by the client for the cat shoot didn't have much in terms of specificity, leaving room for some leeway. Doyoung mentioned that the appointment scheduled was for half-past ten, and it was close to said time when Jaehyun saw Taeyeon head toward the entry lounge with Febreeze in hand. She reappeared mere moments later, another person in tow from what he could tell in his peripheral vision as he fussed about the camera, making sure the cables were all in order and appropriately connected. 

"I'll be seeing myself out then," Doyoung said with a pat to his shoulder and left as Taeyeon added, "Your ten-thirty is here."

Jaehyun glanced up, brows furrowed, and when his gaze settled on the slender figure behind Taeyeon, he was close to withering away on the spot because _ holy fucking shit_. It was the beautiful Revson boy — very _ real _ and very much standing within arms reach. An improvement from how far away he'd been when Jaehyun had initially seen him on the bridge, but now he can see his eyes, and it was all over. He had to say something to break the ice and trick the boy into thinking Jaehyun was cooler than he actually was.

"Hi." Was all that came out instead; a quick exhale of a hello that had Jaehyun sounding like he was out of breath, and he damn well felt like he had just gotten sucker-punched in the gut. There went coming across as cool.

"Hi," the boy replied, tone soft and hesitant as he pushed a strand of hair out of his face. "I'm here for the photo shoot. I mean — _ obviously_, I'm here, and you were just told that." He added in a rush and let out a chuckle, ducking his head while a light pink hue dusted across the apple of his cheeks. _ Adorable_. 

"Well, then," Taeyeon looked between the two of them, an unidentifiable expression on her visage before she shrugged. "On that note, I'll be prepping for the next client, so you two have fun."

Jaehyun stared at her retreating back before turning to the boy who was already peering at him through his eyelashes, and his blush deepened when he realized he'd been caught staring. Whether or not the erratic beating of his heart had anything to do with the coffee he recently finished off or that he caught the boy staring was up in the air. He looked even more handsome than Jaehyun remembered, which seemed impossible, yet, here, the boy stood, dressed down compared to when he had first seen him. His lithe frame practically drowning in the oversized sweatshirt he had on, adorned with the Columbia University logo, fingers barely peeking out past the sleeves while the hem sat mere inches above his knees. A thick, black headband pushed his hair back, a contrast to the honey blonde of his hair, which cascaded over the fabric that was entirely too endearing to handle.

In an attempt to further conversation, Jaehyun opened his mouth to speak but got cut off from an abrupt mewl, and his gaze dropped from the boy's face down to his feet. He shouldn't be as surprised as he was considering Doyoung did mention that the shoot was for a cat, and currently said cat was moving between and rubbing against his owner's legs, tail lazily flicking as it peered up. Jaehyun never related more to a cat.

The boy glanced at his feet, a fond smile immediately filtering across his features, expression softening as he leaned down to pick up the ball of fluffiness that was his cat with a quiet murmur of '_hey there, buddy.' _. Jaehyun was a goner. No doubt about it. There was something inherently more endearing about a cute boy who was sweet to animals, and at this point, Jaehyun had trouble deciding which of the two were cuter. It was completely unintentional that by following the boy's movements, Jaehyun's gaze stilled on his legs and noticed just how tight the leggings he had on were. The dark fabric clung to his toned legs, stray white hairs that undoubtedly belonged to his cat stuck to the material, making Jaehyun all the more aware that he probably looked the same with lingering hairs of Dahlia on him. He swallowed the sudden dryness in his mouth.

"This is Franz," the boy offered, averting his gaze away from the cat cradled in his arms as one would with a baby and over to him, and Franz followed suit, blue eyes blinking warily at Jaehyun. "Oh! I'm Taeyong, by the way," he added with a giggle, and Jaehyun swore his heart clenched at the sight of his eyes crinkling in laughter. It's official; he's whipped. The boy — _ Taeyong_, Jaehyun reminded himself, stepped forward, balancing the weight of Franz in his arms and extended his hand.

Jaehyun closed the space between them and shook Taeyong's hand, offering a smile in return. "I'm Jaehyun. Nice to meet you. And Franz," he supplied, and admittedly, he let his hand linger more than he probably should have before pulling back from the handshake and letting it hang by his side. He gestured to Taeyong's sweatshirt and cleared his throat. "So. You go to Columbia?" A dumb question — so _ ridiculously _dumb that Jaehyun internally cringed at his poor attempt of conversation.

Taeyong's smile became more bashful when he nodded, head cocked to the side as he absentmindedly petted Franz's belly. "Yeah, I do. Creative Writing," he paused, visibly hesitating on his next words by the way he bit his lip, and Jaehyun watched the action. Franz stared at him, somehow managing to look unimpressed with Jaehyun as he ogled his owner. "You go too? I saw you over on Revson last week with your — your boyfriend? The boy with the orange hair?" 

Now it was Jaehyun's turn for his face to heat up, and he nearly choked on air. "Yeah, I do, but no," he fumbled, an awkward chuckle leaving his lips, and he rubbed at the nape of his neck. "God, no. That's Yuta; he's my best friend," Jaehyun gestured for Taeyong to follow him over to the backdrop for the shoot, and while they walked, Taeyong nodded, and Jaehyun noted a shift in his expression but was unable to place it. Remind him to never take Yuta up on his offers to cuddle again.

"What do you study?" Taeyong spoke and adjusted Franz in his arms, who let out a purr and curled further into the crook of his elbow.

"Journalism, but not the real hard-hitting stuff. I'm in the Arts and Culture concentration." 

Jaehyun fixed the backdrop on the areas where it seemed crinkled, before moving to grab the additional props — a deep purple blanket for Franz to sit on and offer a nice contrast to the white background, as well as a ball of yarn that must have been used in a previous pet shoot. Or a knitting enthusiast at the very least. He squatted to place the blanket on the floor and fluffed it out a bit so that it would be comfortable for Franz.

"That's still interesting, though. Should I keep an eye out for you in the Arts section of The New York Times then?" Taeyong asked, a playfulness to his voice that had fondness swell in Jaehyun's chest, making him stare down at the blanket in an attempt to gather his wits before turning his head to look properly at him. God, he was stunning. Jaehyun wasn't sure how he was going to survive the whole shoot with Taeyong smiling at him like that.

Jaehyun chuckled, a newfound lightness appearing just at Taeyong having such faith in him, even in the form of a joke to keep the conversation going, despite Jaehyun having no clue whether or not his major was something he wanted to pursue as a career anymore. Nevertheless, he smiled, albeit shyly, knowing his dimples were making an appearance. "Maybe. If you do, then I'll be sure to dedicate my first article to you. It could be on the merits of pet portraits and owners who rival their pets in cuteness." Jaehyun hadn't planned on saying that last bit; it slipped out before his brain could catch up to his tongue, and he could feel his cheeks flaming up again.

Taeyong was silent for a moment, lips pursed in thought as Jaehyun's words washed over him before twitching up into a bashful smile, and he ducked his head, letting out a gentle laugh while pink blossomed across his cheeks as well. "Sounds like a very specific article. Do you happen to know anyone else who fits the criteria?" He asked, peering up through his eyelashes and sounding more coy than curious. Franz let out a disgruntled noise and jumped down from his arms, choosing to circle Taeyong's feet.

Jaehyun met Taeyong's gaze, a phantom tingle running up his spine, and he stood. They were much closer than he anticipated, though he had a few inches on Taeyong who had to tilt his head slightly to lock eyes fully. There was a charged air between them, and there were several things he wanted to say — wanted to _ do_, but he was at work. Taeyong was a client. He needed to have a level of professionalism and not have his heartstrings pulled so taut in the presence of a beautiful boy.

"No. Just you so far." 

There went professionalism. 

Taeyong seemed pleased at his admission. "That's nice to know," he murmured, voice smooth and running warm through Jaehyun like melted toffee.

He let out a cough, breaking their eye contact, and heading toward the camera. Taeyong was here because of an appointment he made to have his cat photographed, not for Jaehyun to blatantly flirt with him. It took more effort than he'd like to admit not to sneak a glimpse over as he claimed his position behind the camera.

"Do you have any particular setups or poses that you want done?" Jaehyun asked in an attempt to reclaim some of his sanity and anchor himself with his job. 

Their moment seemed to dwindle, and Taeyong squatted to scratch lightly under Franz's chin. His smile returned, much more confident than it had previously been and now aimed directly at Jaehyun. It felt like staring into the sun — vibrant and bright and would do him more harm in the long run if he kept it up. 

"Not really. I actually just recently adopted Franz, and when I told my parents the other week, they demanded photos. He's gorgeous, and the pictures my friends and I took always came out horrible." There was a brief pause, and Taeyong chuckled, peering at Jaehyun while mischief danced in his gaze. "I have a bit of a secret if you promise not to tell anyone."

Now Jaehyun was intrigued. He peered away from the camera, establishing eye contact once again and wary for the state of his own heart. "As long as it doesn't involve catnapping, then I promise." He shouldn't be as enamored as he was with this boy that he only officially met not even ten minutes ago. Yet, here he was, hanging off every word like Taeyong was some prophet speaking the secrets of the universe.

That made Taeyong giggle, shaking his head and honey blonde strands bounced from the movement. "There's no catnapping. Scout's honor!" His promise was backed by holding his hand out in the gesture, and, yeah, this boy was going to be the death of him. "I'm kind of... _ hiding _ Franz from my RA since having any pets in the dorm is prohibited. Whatever — _ technicalities_. Everybody on my floor loves him and takes turns watching him."

"Oh my God," Jaehyun outright laughed and had to take a step back from the camera so he wouldn't accidentally knock it over. "You're harboring a cat in your dorm and playing a literal cat and mouse game with your RA. Who is it? I might know them."

Taeyong bit down on his bottom lip, flickering his attention between Franz, who had climbed onto the purple blanket in curiosity and sniffed at it, and Jaehyun. He momentarily hesitated. "You know Kun?"

A loud cackle rippled past his lips, and Jaehyun would've been embarrassed if Taeyong didn't seem so amused — eyes so expressive as they shined in mirth and he brought his hand up to block his laughter, the sleeve of his sweatshirt sliding down his forearm. 

"You're afraid of Kun? That's like, being scared of a Chihuahua barking at you!"

An indignant noise escaped Taeyong while he offered the ball of yarn to Franz. "That's the worst comparison! Chihuahua's are actually little demonic creatures!" He cried out, lips puffing out in a pout before moving away, so he was out of the shot. "Kun's nice, and it's actually kind of unnerving how nice he is. I bet you he's hiding something underneath all those button-up shirts. _ Anyway_. My point still stands. He's my RA, and I think he's picked up on Franz, and I can't have him find him, or else he'd get rid of him. Kun thinks he's clever by doing unannounced check-ins, but the joke's on him because my friend Yangyang lives across the hall from him and texts me when he leaves, so my floor has a working schedule."

Jaehyun stared at Taeyong in astonishment. Where in the world has he been hiding these past two and a half years? He could only blink before concentrating back on the camera, adjusting the zoom, and snapping a few photos of Franz pawing at the ball of yarn. It took a few seconds for the images to appear on his computer, but they came out well. The purple of the blanket helped the white of Franz's fur to stand out against the lightness of the background.

"Cute. I'm helping out a delinquent," he teased, pulling back from the camera to grin at Taeyong, who matched his smile.

Conversation stilled a bit after that, Jaehyun wanted to have the photos turn out well for Taeyong's sake if he were to be sending them to his parents. He did his best to supply a wide variety from close up shots where he had Taeyong drape part of the purple blanket over Franz's head, and full-body shots as Franz grew disinterested with the yarn and stretched lazily on the floor. Taeyong lingered off to Jaehyun's side, listening to his advice when it came to the creative direction of the portraits, and would nod obediently with a deep furrow of his brows as he went over to his cat to fuel more interactions with the camera.

Jaehyun took an endearing photo of Franz lounging on the blanket, tail gracefully swishing as he glanced off frame to Taeyong, who had resorted to waving his arms wildly to get his attention. "So, Franz, huh?" He offered. A smile tugged at his lips when he stepped away from the camera and saw Taeyong already watching him in humor. "I'm going on a whim and guessing you read Kafka in one of your Lit classes, and you've been enlightened ever since?"

Taeyong sniggered. "Oh, yeah. I love the almost poetic way he translates the bullshit of bureaucracy and —" He clenched a fist dramatically, "—being crushed underneath the cruel heel of a capitalist society." There's a pause, and Jaehyun could see how his features are straining to keep a straight face. His facade crumbled, upper lip wobbling when he meets Jaehyun's gaze, and soon the two are giggling together. "It really resonates with me."

"If I ever turn into a giant insect, you'll be the first person I'll call."

"That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me," Taeyong replied in an exaggerated sweet tone, hand splayed across his chest where his heart would be, and another blinding smile directed at Jaehyun. "I have to say I'm impressed; most people don't guess Kafka first."

Jaehyun stepped forward to snap another few pictures of the white fluffball. For a cat that must have spent a lot of time moving between dorms and different people, Franz behaved exceptionally well and listened to Taeyong's orders. It must be from seeing so many faces on a semi-regular basis that had the cat relaxed when it came to meeting strangers.

"Once you read a short story about a dude randomly turning into a gigantic bug and the shittiness of his family when taking care of him, it kinda sticks with you."

Taeyong appeared thoughtful. "Fair enough."

It's when he's going between images on the computer that Jaehyun remembers that these are for Taeyong's parents, and while a cute cat is always a plus, they would probably appreciate seeing their son.

"Do you wanna hop in for a few? I'm sure your parents would like it; you and your little fugitive."

The laugh that bubbled out past Taeyong's lips was vibrant, already adding so much color to Jaehyun's world, and Jaehyun wanted to continue being the reason behind his laughter. A little too soon to be having such thoughts, but it was safe to say that Taeyong had him wrapped around his finger, despite how unintentional it may be. "Oh, no," he said, waving his hands in objection. "I look like crap; I had to run out of my yoga class early so I could stop by my dorm to pick up Franz and make it here on time."

Jaehyun swallowed. Was Taeyong made in a factory somewhere where they manufactured beautifully endearing boys, who did fucking _ yoga _ of all past-time activities? It did explain the skintight black leggings that hugged him like a second skin, and here Jaehyun thought he had been doing a relatively decent job of keeping his eyes laser-focused on the camera and not Taeyong's legs.

After some persuading on Jaehyun's part that had him wondering whether he missed his calling in pre-law, he managed to get a sheepish Taeyong sat cross-legged on the floor, blanket hanging loosely across his lap while Franz climbed up to rest on his shoulder. He snapped photos in record time, afraid that the cat would jump off from the position quickly, and was proven right. Jaehyun's eyes snapped to the computer. Three pictures loaded one after another, and it was the final one that Jaehyun knew was the winner. Taeyong's attention was not on the camera but tilting his head at a slight angle so he could catch a glimpse of Franz, who sat atop his shoulder proudly, fluffy tail curling around his neck and resting against Taeyong's forehead. 

"I think you're gonna love this," Jaehyun breathed, and an easy smile pulled at his lips.

Franz hopped off Taeyong's lap as he clambered up, striding over to stand closely beside Jaehyun, and watched the computer screen when Jaehyun pointed at it. He snuck a glimpse in time to see Taeyong's unfiltered reaction to the photo, eyes crinkling in happiness and a blinding smile consuming his features. What Jaehyun wasn't expecting was for Taeyong to clutch his hand.

"This is perfect! My parents will love this; you're amazing!" Taeyong gushed, tugging Jaehyun's hand in unparalleled enthusiasm. He could only blush in response, but more than happy to have given Taeyong the results that he wanted when booking the appointment.

"I'm glad you like them," Jaehyun answered truthfully and gave his hand a light squeeze of his own, heart stuttering when Taeyong turned to meet his gaze. Time seemed to pause as they smiled at one another, and Jaehyun was still trying to comprehend the sheer luck of Taeyong finding his job of all places to photograph his cat. "You know, I have two large dogs at home, but you and Franz might be convincing me that I need a tiny kitten to look over." Which was true. He had only perceived himself as a dog person, despite not fully spending enough time with a cat to base a real opinion on them. Still, Taeyong's cute interactions with Franz had him reconsidering.

Taeyong's smile widened, and quite admittedly, Jaehyun's heart clenched when he released his hand, but he got another toothy grin from Taeyong, which was never a bad thing. "Really?" He asked. "You should! Get a cat, I mean. I can come with you to adopt!" Jaehyun could tell how enthused Taeyong was at the idea, and it was endearing to know that he was on board so quickly. Plus, the idea of spending more time with Taeyong echoed in his mind.

Jaehyun bit down on his lip in consideration. It was enough of a hassle getting his landlord to agree on letting him bring in Dahlia to the apartment when they already had Duke, but he was nothing if not persistent. Or at the very least open to visiting some shelters to look at cats with Taeyong tagging along as company.

"It might be challenging to convince my landlord of letting us have a third pet, and my roommates might actually strangle me. I don't mind going, though." Jaehyun picked out his words slowly, not wanting to come across as too desperate when they only really met this past hour. "Even if it's just, y'know, looking at cats."

The opposite seemed to be what Taeyong thought when he gathered Franz in his arms and fidgeted in his spot. "Let me have your phone. I'll put my number in, and you can text me whenever you're free to go." He seemed earnest in his reply, posture relaxed, and arm already extending outward for Jaehyun's phone.

How could he ever say no? And when was it ever this easy to get a cute boy's phone number? Jaehyun wasn't sure, but it took longer than he would've liked for his body to catch up to his brain's cognitive functions, while he stood motionless, mouth parted, and breath stilled as the offer bounced around his mind. Taeyong snapped him out of his reverie when he shifted his weight, the brightness of his smile dimming with a ghost of doubt filtering through his expression.

Jaehyun immediately reached into his jean pocket for his phone, opened it to his contact list, and practically shoved it at Taeyong. "I — yeah, that's good for me," he stammered, feeling as though his heart suddenly relocated itself in his throat. "I typically have morning classes, then come here right after. But also," Jaehyun cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders in a poor attempt of acting casual. "I can text you when I'm done developing your photos and email you the finished product. Or if you want a physical copy to send, then you can stop back in once they're finished in the darkroom. We don't charge until you pick a package or whichever images you want."

Taeyong's fingers paused their movements, hovering above the illuminated screen of Jaehyun's phone. Moments passed, and Jaehyun wondered if he had said something wrong, but he saw Taeyong's tongue peak out of his mouth to lick his lips before he fixed his attention on Jaehyun and simpered. "You mean I can stop in to see you again?"

Jaehyun could only nod.

Taeyong straightened his back and handed him back his phone. "Text me any time then. Don't be a stranger," he replied, tone dripping honey and made even worse by winking at Jaehyun. Holy crap, this boy was out for his blood. Franz then meowed, sounding incredibly unimpressed — probably from how long they'd been in the studio and growing restless, and Taeyong pet soothingly down his back. "It's okay, boy; we're heading out." He started to turn and make his way out toward the waiting lounge but paused, the squeak of his Adidas sneakers rattling in Jaehyun's ears as he stopped. There was a lump in Jaehyun's throat, impossible to swallow, and an annoying presence when all he could do was stare at Taeyong's back. "I really do appreciate what you've done for me today, and I look forward to seeing you again soon." He turned his head the slightest inch, making sure his voice was audible and establishing eye contact with Jaehyun before he tossed a coy smile over his shoulder. Jaehyun watched his retreating figure disappear out of the room, and then Taeyong was gone.

His fingers clenched around the phone in his hand, knuckles white, and feeling as though it weighed so much more. Now he could text Taeyong — could _ see _ him again, rather than mooning over him like he had been this whole past week. Everything seemed to be catching up to him like his brain was a tape recording and zooming through all of what just happened. Jaehyun moved toward the computer on the Tether table and stared at the last image of Taeyong and Franz uploaded on the screen.

He didn't hear Doyoung approach him from behind and jerked at the unexpected voice in such proximity. "That's adorable." A hand came up to squeeze his shoulder, and Jaehyun glanced back at Doyoung, who offered him a smile. "If the rest are like that, then it's safe to say you did a great job. What did your client have to say about them from the previews?"

"He liked them a lot; said they were exactly what he was hoping for."

Doyoung hummed. "Maybe you might've gotten yourself a regular." He could only hope. There was an undercurrent of pride in his tone that was too much for Jaehhyun to unload at the time being. Doyoung gave one last squeeze to his shoulder before walking away toward the entry lounge. "Now, if you'll excuse me, our hot mess of an intern needs help getting inside the building from all the excessive Starbucks he bought."

The last hour seemed too surreal to have been something that actually happened. In what world did the beautiful boy he pined over for a week straight walk into his job to get his cat photographed of all things? Jaehyun wasn't sure, but he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth when the universe seemed actually to be working in his favor for once. He exhaled. Jaehyun peered down at his phone and wondered if Taeyong was only kind to him out of courtesy. What if he had given him a fake number? He swallowed the dryness in his throat and unlocked his phone, heart swelling two times its size in his chest at the sight of the contact name — _ Taeyong_, followed by the blue heart and cat emoji. 

There had to be a reason why things ended up as they did; how Taeyong ended up in his job of all the photography studios in New York. Jaehyun bit down on his lip at typed out a message.

**JAEHYUN**

> is this soon enough?

**TAEYONG 💙🐈**

> it definitely took you longer than i expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took a hot second to get out bc i lack decent time management skills so we out here !! also ... i saw superm live at msg which was an experience all in its own bc taeyong is so ethereally beautiful it astounds me ?? his charisma and stage presence really demands your attention and seeing him grind down on the floor in no manners not even twenty feet away from me was an out of body experience. so we feeling blessed 🙏if your upset this took some time getting out it's bc i've been recuperating from that so sorry sdjkflsd
> 
> n knee wayz !! thoughts and comments would be appreciated bc i would love to hear what you guys have to say (':

**Author's Note:**

> spare some thoughts and opinions? 👉 👈


End file.
